Antonio Conte is willing to take over the reins at Inter Milan on the proviso they make him the highest paid manager in the Serie A.
Conte, 49, is on the lookout for a new job after sitting out this season following his sacking by Chelsea in the summer.
The Italian has been linked with several top clubs but Inter are stepping up their interest in the former Juventus and Italy manager.
Inter president Steven Zhang has reportedly told general manager Beppe Marotta to bring Conte to the San Siro at all costs.
However, Conte has doubts about returning to Italy after enjoying his two-year spell in England so is making hefty demands.
Conte is demanding to be paid a £9million salary after tax which would make him the highest earner among his Serie A managerial rivals.
If Inter give Conte what he wants then he would earn £2.5m more than Juventus' Massimiliano Allegri, who is currently Serie A's highest paid manager.
Inter will have to shell out £21.5m if they are to sack current boss Luciano Spalletti.
Spalletti, whose current deal runs out in 2021, could lose his job despite his side being in third spot with seven games to go.
Despite their league position, Inter are 27 points behind league leaders Juventus.
Rosaboss
25
I still remember what he did to Chelsea against city .. parked the whole damn bus with hazard as the only striker ..
perhaps
22
He’s not the guy we need. If we’re gonna change the coach, we need someone who’s gonna completely change our football for good. Coaches like Klopp, Pep, Sarri etc.
Aquaman
14
If he asks for 9 million pounds then Inter should pay 10 million pounds because quite honestly this man deserves it.Any club would be lucky if Conte becomes their manager.I believe that Inter must stick with Spalletti as he has finally established them as Champions league contenders after such a long drought and by the end of this season Inter would have qualified for the champions league spot for a second time in a row.Conte must remain patient and play hardball.